Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake....It's the bomb!

I found this recipe last year, on a blog called alexandracooks.com. Love her food blog, and when I saw this picture on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. I love breakfast, and this cake looked like perfection. The buttermilk, the blueberries, the lemon zest...the sugar sprinkled on top, an awesome combination. I had to laugh when I read her story on this cake...how she found it in her mom's recipes, and the name of the recipe was "Baby Boys Favorite Cake." She described how her little brother was the baby in the family, and was a super picky eater, and when she saw the recipe, she knew it would be good because "baby boy" liked it so much. The reason I laughed, is because we also have a "baby boy" in our family.....my little brother, who just turned 36. I have memories of my mom making him scrambled eggs every morning, because he was the "baby." I even remember making his bed for awhile, because my mom thought he was too little. I think he was twelve. We were heading out to our cabin with the whole family last summer, and I thought I would make this cake to see if our "baby boy" would like it. Sure enough, he ate half the pan. Make it for your family, or the "baby boy" in your life!

Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake (baby boy's favorite:))

Honey yogurt berry pops...healthy snacking for kids!

(photo from joylicious)

So, Peter and I were both doing so good on this "eating healthy" thing...that is, until Valentine's day threw us into a tail spin...followed by a two day stay at Great Wolf Lodge. Eating healthy there is like eating healthy at Denny's. It just doesn't happen. My exercise plan took a hiatus, and has been replaced with boxes of chocolates, banana cake, these awesome ginger molasses bake yourself cookies from Trader Joe's that my cousin turned me on to...oh, and birthday dinner for my brother tonight with cake and ice cream. What the heck? I was doing so good! How can all these little mini holidays and celebrations become little excuses to undo all the good stuff I have done? Tomorrow, people. That is the day I get back on track...and the kids? They have been with me on my one way trip to unhealthiness...enough already! So, I decided to start getting rid of all the junk around here this last week...(mostly by personally eating it.) My giant box of chocolates now looks like this.....




My kids love good food as much as I do, and I'm always thrilled when I find a recipe for something seemingly unhealthy, but that is actually super healthy. Make sense? Take these Honey yogurt berry pops. Found them on the joylicious.net, a great food blog. They were posted around fourth of July, but I think they apply to all months of the year. Even better? They have no sugar...naturally. My kids like them better than store bought popsicles, so I never have to say NO!

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups Plain greek yogurt ( I love FAGE, sold at Costco...eat it every morning w/ honey and almonds)
1 cup Honey
Fresh or frozen berried of your choice
Popsicle molds (can be purchased at IKEA, or seasonally at grocery stores)




Mix yogurt and honey. Fold in berries. Transfer to something with a spout, as it makes it easier when pouring. Fill to top of popsicle mold. Freeze.

p.s. I actually used a "honey" greek yogurt made by "The Greek Gods,"when I made these last...then left out the honey, saved me step, and they tasted great! You can use any left over yogurt and berry mix for smoothies...another healthy snack for the family! Enjoy!

Modern Nautical...Decorating with Maps

Check out a guest blog I wrote for my friend Caron over at Everything Coastal! You will love her blog! She is master of all things beach, coastal, and sea...

Everythingcoastal.com

Valentine's Day...make it special for the kids!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and my brain is buzzing with Valentine's Day ideas. I love all holidays with a passion, but I actually ENJOY Valentine's Day. During most holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, the joy of the holiday is overshadowed with the craziness that comes with meal planning, cleaning your house for company, cooking like a crazy person, running to the grocery store, making sure the presents are wrapped....in all the bustle, it's easy to lose track of the real joy in the holidays...spending time with your loved ones. Valentine's Day is the exception, because it's a very underwhelming holiday...most people don't host extravagant Valentine's dinners, so there is plenty of time to put a little thought into the little things...which are what really make memories for your loved ones.

When it comes to the kids, we parents will jump at any chance to make them feel special. Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse to make them each feel loved, by planning little surprises throughout the day. They need not be expensive gifts, just little gestures to make them feel they are someone's valentine, and they are special to you. I love to start off the day with a Valentine's breakfast...we usually make heart shaped pancakes using a pancake mold, but this can also be done with a large heart shaped cookie cutter. Here are a few breakfast ideas to help get your creative juices flowing:



My daughter loves it if I stick a little love note into her lunch....I'm pretty sure my son does too, but he would never admit it...The sky is the limit for lunch ideas at Valentines. Here are a few great ideas, all served up in my favorite BPA free lunch gear, from Easylunchboxes.com. These things are so handy, I can't even tell you. I pack two in my kids lunch everyday, one with a lunch, one with a snack. The best part??? No waste!

(photos from lisastorms.typepad.com)

My husband and I usually celebrate our own Valentine's Day the weekend before...it just seems easier for us...easier for whoever is watching the kids, no lunches to pack the next day, more lax bedtimes...which frees us up on Valentine's Day, to have a special dinner at home with the kids. I try and have a small gift for each kid when they get home, and a little Valentine's snack, maybe cupcakes or cookies. I love the idea of this charming little Valentine fort, to sit in and eat our goodies while we look through each of their valentine's card they received that day. How cute is that? Then, just dinner at home, with a few little decorations around the table...and you have a memorable, cheap, Valentine's day for the family.




As for the Valentine's themselves? This year, we made these awesome little monster bookmarks. See the tutorial here. They were super easy, and something you can reuse!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Baked French Toast with Blueberries....perfect weekend food!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day...and there is nothing I love more than pancakes, french toast, syrup, bacon...perfection. My favorite thing to cook is some kind of new breakfast casserole or breakfast cake, and this baked french toast falls into both of those categories. This is a great dish to serve for brunch...Mother's Day, Easter, or just Sunday morning! My cousin Steph first introduced me to this dish...she called me with the recipe telling me how awesome it was, and how I had to try it. It took me a whole 24 hours, and the results were amazing. It is now a favorite in my family, and it is often requested at family brunches. Something about the crusty bread layers, mixed with cream cheesiness, warm blueberries, and syrup. It's awesome. Try it this weekend, you will not be disappointed!

You will need:

2 loaves crusty Italian bread cut into 1" cubes
1 1/2 packages of cream cheese
Sprinkle of sugar
Fresh or frozen blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup

Blueberry sauce:

1 cup white sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbs butter

Sprinkle half of the bread cubes in a casserole dish. Mix the cream cheese with a little sugar, and spread across the bread cubes. Sprinkle blueberries over the cream cheese (1+ cups). Top with remaining bread cubes. In a large mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, vanilla and syrup. Pour over bread mixture. Let sit overnight in the fridge. In the morning, take the pan out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to making. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove foil, and bake 30 more minutes, until center is firm, and the edges are brown. While baking, mix 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan, with the cornstarch. Bring to boil, stirring for 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of blueberries. Reduce heat, simmer for ten minutes, until blueberries burst or mush. Add 1 Tbs butter. Pour over french toast, or make extra and serve on the side, get jiggy with it. (It really says that at the bottom of my recipe card...) Enjoy!

Superbowl food made easy!

It has begun. It's still a day away, and I find myself, as I write this, snacking on things I would not normally eat. You now those white, yogurt covered pretzels that taste like awesome? I just ate about twenty. Nine. Anyway, back to the Superbowl. Maybe you are having a little party.... or maybe you are going to a little party? Maybe you are just watching it with your family in the comfort of your own TV room....either way, you need snacks, people. I know I will draw gasps when I say this, but I have never really cared about football. I look forward to the snacking, and the napping. My day goes something like this....wake up late. Eat breakfast. Small nap on couch. Snacking begins. Another nap....cheering...someone scores...I stuff chips and dip into my mouth. Go back to sleep. Dream about snacks, and napping. Laugh at funny commercials in my half awake state...then dinner....then dessert. Then a small snack. Back to bed. Thought I would share a few recipes of some tried and true Superbowl food to get you in the spirit!



Feta Dip

Found this recipe off of memoriesatcloverlane.com, a cute food blog a while back, and have made it s few times. Slice up a fresh baguette for dipping...you will LOVE it!

Here’s what you need:
olive oil
1 block (1#) of feta cheese (I don’t like the pre-crumbled kind because I think it is dry)
tomatoes (any kind)…I use about 3 Roma’s
1 bunch of green onions
1 baguette
Greek Seasoning (see pic below)
1 large platter

Cover the bottom of a platter in olive oil. Dice the tomatoes and green onion. Throw on top. Crumble the feta cheese over the top. Sprinkle Greek seasoning over top. (use about 3 tsp.) (If you can't find the seasoning, you can sub with oregano and a little pepper and some salt to taste.)
Gently mix together, and start dipping!



Reuben Dip

This dip is made in a crockpot, and also served with a sliced baguette. It is warm, gooey, easy to make, and can be served all day from the crock pot. It almost tastes like hot, crab artichoke dip, without the cost. A woman brought it to a neighbors party, and at least a handful of people were sitting around the kitchen writing down the recipe. It's that good.

you will need:

1 (16 ounce) jar sauerkraut, drained
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded cooked corned beef
1/4 cup thousand island dressing

In a slow cooker, combine the sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, corned beef and thousand island dressing. Cover, and cook on high for 45 minutes if you're in a hurry, low for longer if you're not, or just until hot and cheese is melted. Stir occasionally while cooking. Serve with crackers or sliced baguettes.



7 Layer Taco Dip

My mom has been making this since I was little. I don't know what it is about hers, that makes it so good, but I could (and do) eat it all day.

Layer the following in a casserole dish starting with:

1 can Frito Lay Jalapeno Bean dip (find in the chip aisle)
Next, spread over 3 mashed avocados seasoned with lemon juice, salt and pepper
mix1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayo, and 3/4 packet of taco seasoning and spread over dip
sprinkle on 2 diced tomatoes
sprinkle on 1 can sliced olives
sprinkle on 1 bunch of chopped green onions
top with shredded cheddar and heat in oven until melty.

The best tortilla chips I have tasted, are the Juanita's brand, in a red and green bag.

For something sweet, my cousin makes an awesome popcorn/chex mix that the kids chow down on:




Caramel Popcorn Chex Mix

8 cups popcorn
4 cups rice chex cereal
2 cups pretzels
1 or 2 cups pecans

Mix in a bowl, then put on baking sheet.

in a sauce pan: bring to a boil, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, and 1/2 cup butter. turn down to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes (do not stir.) Take off of heat, and stir in 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Pour mixture over popcorn mix. Bake at 295 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir halfway through. Enjoy!

Hope you all have the best Superbowl ever! (as I go to eat just one more pretzel...but alas...there are two stuck together like Siamese pretzels. Of course they are meant to be together, I guess I have to eat them both...) Enjoy your snacking, napping, funny commercials, and of course....football!